pucker

American  

[puhk-er] / ˈpʌk ər /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to draw or gather into wrinkles or irregular folds, as material or a part of the face; constrict.

   Worry puckered his brow.

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noun

1. a wrinkle; an irregular fold.

2. a puckered part, as of cloth tightly or crookedly sewn.

3. Archaic. a state of agitation or perturbation.

pucker British  

/ ˈpʌkə /

verb

1. to gather or contract (a soft surface such as the skin of the face) into wrinkles or folds, or (of such a surface) to be so gathered or contracted

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noun

1. a wrinkle, crease, or irregular fold

Other Word Forms

• puckerer
  noun
• unpuckered
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pucker

1590–1600; apparently a frequentative form connected with poke ²; see -er ⁶ and for the meaning cf. purse

Explanation

Pucker is a verb for what happens when something smooth or flat gets folded up into little wrinkles, like how you pucker your lips when you go to kiss someone — you, wild flirt, you! When you use a sewing machine, sometimes the cloth puckers in wrinkly clumps that make it hard to sew in a straight line. Most of the time, it’s lips that do the puckering, maybe because you want a kiss, but also sucking on a lemon can make your lips pucker. If someone tells you to “pucker up,” they might want to kiss you, or they might throw a sour pickle at your head. Either way, get ready.

Example Sentences

He avoids kissing for 24 hours before a performance and 48 hours before a competition because it makes it difficult to sustain a pucker.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

These compounds, which look like rings at the molecular level, interact with proteins in your saliva to produce a dry, astringent sensation that makes your mouth pucker.

From Salon • Nov. 25, 2024

Mattel should have considered traditional pucker toe moccasins, instead of black shoes, and included symbols on the basket that Cherokees use to tell a story, she said.

From Washington Times • Dec. 4, 2023

In other words, this complex dance between art, anatomy, and archaeology can bring the past almost to life—one eyelash, pucker, and pore at a time.

From National Geographic • Oct. 23, 2023

They’re starting to pucker, hovering above limp lengths of string.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• crinkle